Whether it's uncovering beautiful discoveries in nature, formulating scientific discoveries, or most importantly – helping you to reconnect with your innate beauty, we pride ourselves in those magical AHA! moments, and those who dream and dare to have them!
From the USB flash drive, which is now a household product across the globe, to new inventions such as the pocket printer, Israelis are constantly busy leaving their mark on technological history. While we give a hat tip here to our very own Dr. Miriam Oron, Head Research & Development Manager at AHAVA (for her latest scientific skincare breakthrough that recharges your skin), also discover below the short stories from other Israeli inventors who shape your daily life – and make it that much better.
One Israeli innovation that most of the modern world now owns is the flash drive. Not only have corporate executives benefited from this nifty and convenient technology, elementary school children, parents, and millions of others around the world ubiquitously use the USB flash drive to transport pictures, documents and information.
Older generations will remember the need to carry data on floppy disks, and business users often kept file drawers full of data disks. The flash drive replaced the need for hundreds of disks with a small, portable drive that fits in the palm of the hand or the pocket of a favorite pair of pants.
Many people credit SanDisk with the creation of the flash drive, but the company at the heart of everyone's favorite hard storage device was M-Systems. An Israeli entrepreneur legendary for his start-up success, Dov Moron, launched M-Systems and headed the development of the flash drive. In the end, he sold the flash drive technology to SanDisk, and was able to successfully deliver the technology to a broader audience.
Heralded by President Obama, the ReWalk is a medical invention that comes from the Holy Land. Invented by Dr. Amit Goffer, the ReWalk is an exoskeleton computer and device system that helps paralyzed bodies mimic the action of normal walking. The system consists of motion sensors, computer software and attachments that put the human body through all the motions of walking. The result isn't just someone who goes through the motions, though; 1 woman who previously could not move from the chest down, was able to use the ReWalk to complete an entire marathon!
In addition to being a prime example of Dead Sea innovation, the ReWalk also shows that Israeli inventors aren't usually satisfied with simply achieving excellence. Dr. Amit Goffer hasn't settled for creating a medical miracle for paralyzed individuals- to this day he's continued to work to develop other uses for his technology.
Our very own Dr. Miriam Oron, Research and Development Manager at AHAVA, says one of her favorite moments in the lab was working on the innovation in skincare technology that eventually became known as Dead Sea Crystal Osmoter™.
This discovery is a great example of how Israeli thinkers often come together to solve problems. Oron and the AHAVA labs sought to create a Dead Sea mineral-infused oil, which meant that they had to mix salt and oil.
At the time, the prevailing wisdom was that salt could only be mixed with water. To overcome this challenge, Oron and her team worked with Professor Shlomo Magdassi, sharing clinical and scientific discoveries over a 5-year span. The hard work and cooperation eventually paid off in the development of a revolutionary skincare serum which combines a plant-based oil skincare formula with minerals to deeply penetrate and deliver the concentration deep into the active epidermis layers. The product has helped women around the world to achieve glowing, firm complexions, at high levels of mineral potency.
Tiny printers typically have a big problem: The smaller the printer, the smaller the paper. A pocket-sized printer can't take in the paper sizes typical for many personal and business functions around the globe. At the same time, it would be nice to carry a printer around in your laptop bag or pocket for emergency hard-copy situations.
Israeli inventors are known for developing creative solutions to big problems, so it's no surprise that the first mobile printer comes from Israeli tech firm Nekuda. Nekuda thought outside the box: what if the printer didn't have to accept the paper at all? Instead, Nekuda created a small, teardrop-shaped printing device that moves on top of the paper, disbursing ink appropriately as it scurries back and forth according to the design of whatever is being printed. The wireless printer interfaces with your network or Bluetooth to print from computers, tablets or smartphones.
Power is always a problem; whether emerging or established, nations constantly battle the need for more power. Israel ingenuity strikes even this global plight, this time in the form of a product from Sol Chip. The company developed a solar battery which integrates microchip technology with existing solar-cell technology. The result is a battery that can recharge on its own, as well as power electronic mobile devices and wireless sensors. Currently, the entire world is periodically chained to charging stations as they wait for devices to recharge; this solar battery makes the constant need to connect and recharge obsolete.
Dahlia Greidinger was a fifth generation Israeli, who helped to shape the country's chemical industry. Her career began in 1951, when she became an assistant at the Technion Israeli Institute of Technology. By 1969, she was elected to the board of directors at Deshanim Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd. Greidinger was a prolific science writer and had a number articles published in respected journals. She was also the holder of several fertilizer patents, including a long-life liquid fertilizer, and a controlled release particulate fertilizer composition which is still commonly used in agriculture today.
The final invention in this list is actually a service. Three Israeli technical entrepreneurs launched the startup that would become Wix. The Abrahamis and Giora Kaplan saw a real need for small businesses and startups across the globe that had problems with their lack of web development knowledge, dealing with complex templates and software. The team came up with a solution called Wix, an affordable way to quickly build classic, professional websites. The world seems to agree that this Israeli startup has hit the nail on the head; within a few years, the company has accrued 55 million users and new customers join the Wix platform daily.
The Israeli mind is always at work- in the field of science and technology, that means inventing and innovating. From miniature printers to sustainable, skin-friendly products, Israeli thinkers are always moving forward.